Rodolfo Elizondo Torres

Mexico has undertaken a number of recent initiatives to embrace the meetings market. We spoke with Rodolfo Elizondo Torres, Mexico's Secretary of Tourism, to learn more about the strategy behind these initiatives.

How does Mexico view the meetings market?

We have an opportunity to go after the association meeting market with intention. There are 32 states in Mexico, and 80 percent of them are interested in having the ability to host meetings; those that are internal to our country and the huge opportunity that exists for the association market that is only a short distance from our borders. Many cities are already in a position to host these meetings.

Why should a group consider Mexico?

We have small cities and large cities, many of which are unknown treasures. One such place is Zacatecas, a city in northern Mexico that is rich in artistic and cultural offerings. [The people of Zacatecas are especially proud of having preserved and restored so many ancient architectural and artistic monuments that the city was designated a "Cultural Treasure of Humanity" in 1993 by UNESCO.]

From the colonial treasures of Central Mexico to our beautiful beaches, we offer different kinds of services, different kinds of experiences. Here, you'll find gastronomic, musical, folkloric, and cultural experiences unlike those in any other country. In Mexico you can travel to the past without giving up today's most modern comforts.

Another reason to come to Mexico is that the American people are - and will feel - very welcome here. You are our neighbors.

Where does tourism fall on your current administration's agenda?

One of President Felipe Calderon's top objectives for Mexico is to encourage tourism to our country. There has been 37 percent more allocated in the budget for the tourism sector, to advance and promote all products of Mexico. That comes to more than $200 million to market Mexico.

In terms of developing new areas, new destinations, the current administration has budgeted 500 percent more. President Calderon understands how important tourism is to our country and what it takes to make that dream a reality.

An important part of tourism is the meetings and conventions segment. We have created a convention office in the immigration authority in order to facilitate the movement of meeting attendees when they arrive in Mexico. Our main convention centers have been facilitated as customs clearance centers.

As an added incentive for groups, in January 2004, a zero-tax law went into effect in Mexico, making international meetings and conventions in the country as much as 15 percent less expensive than before. In addition, organizers of events in Mexico do not pay import taxes on the equipment or displays necessary for these meetings, as long as they are re-exported. It's also important to remember that Mexico is tax-deductible for meetings, according to NAFTA (North America Free Trade Agreement). As part of NAFTA, organizations that meet for business in Mexico are able to deduct their meeting expenses from their annual IRS declaration.

Is this a long-term commitment to growing tourism?

We are beginning a new page of tourism in Mexico. It is the will of the President to open the economy in support of tourism.

We are taking care of this market by opening an office in Washington, D.C. [see below]. To get to this market, we have to be very serious and professional. We want to make this a business for our whole life, not one day.

We realize that events can give communities new life in Mexico. Tourists, business travelers, and meeting attendees all contribute to local economies. This is a boon for the people of Mexico. People in our country who work in the hospitality industry earn 30 percent more than workers in other sectors.

And more than half of these workers are women. Meetings can bring people in our country the opportunity to improve their way of life.

Currently, two million formal workers are employed in the sector. Only for the month of August, the tourism industry is responsible for adding 10,000 new jobs to the labor market, totaling 100,000 new jobs since January.

What's on the horizon in Mexico that would be of interest to groups?

2010 will mark Mexico's Independence Bicentennial and the Revolution Centennial. That will be a great year to hold a meeting in Mexico as there will be many festivities and events commemorating this milestone. But Mexico is a country rich in tradition and history, no matter what year you come.

A Strategic Partnership

Eduardo Chaillo, CMP, CMM, is director of the Strategic Business Unit (SBU) of the Mexico Tourism Board, with offices in Washington, D.C. His role is to increase Mexico's stake in the U.S. business travel market.

Accordingly with the latest official statistics, from January to July 2007, Mexico received 13 million tourists generating an income of $7.9 billion. The number of international flights to Mexico, regular and charter, registered during the first eight months went up to 97,700 flights, showing the high air connectivity that most of Mexico's destinations enjoy.

"We are very happy that our strategy with the meeting industry is working so far. That is proven by the fact that during the first semester, we increased tourism revenues by 8.2 percent compared with the increase of 1.2 percent in number of visitors; that means that every visitor to our country has a higher expenditure level and higher possibility to contribute to the economic situation in our country," Chaillo said.

Chaillo said there is still much work to be done to educate U.S.-based meeting planners about "how easy it is to plan their events in Mexico." Part of SBU's strategy is developing partnerships within the meetings industry with organizations (such as PCMA). Chaillo also serves as a board member of Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI).

27 Sites in Mexico Belong to the World

World Heritage Sites Encourage the Preservation of Cultural and Natural Heritage

Question: When is a site the property of the country in which it is located, but the site is considered in the interest of the international community to preserve for future generations? Answer: When it is named to UNESCO's (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), World Heritage List. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Program.

Since the World Heritage Program began in 1972, a total of 851 sites have been listed: 660 cultural, 166 natural, and 25 mixed properties. What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional is its universal application. The goal is to encourage the identification, protection, and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.

There are 27 World Heritage sites in Mexico alone. The latest addition to the list is the Central University City Campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Built from 1949 to 1952, the campus is a unique example of 20th-century modernism integrating urbanism, architecture, engineering, landscape design, and fine arts and is one of the most significant icons of modernity in Latin America. Linking Biodiversity with Ecotourism Two of the six World Heritage sites UNESCO has earmarked to preserve biodiversity through ecotourism are located in Mexico: El Vizcaíno and Sian Ka'an. The program focuses on creating a model for using tourism to promote the protection of important habitats. Through responsible waste management technologies and conservation, local communities benefit from the growing tourism industry.

At Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, strategies are being developed to mitigate the pressures from mass tourism on the site's tropical forests, mangrove canals, and coral barrier reef, the second largest in the world. Sian Ka'an provides a habitat for a remarkably rich flora and a fauna comprising more than 300 species of birds. Visit http://whc.unesco.org or more information.

New CEO for Mexican Tourism Board

In October, Mexico's Secretary of Tourism, Rodolfo Elizondo Torres, appointed Oscar Fitch Gomez as the new CEO of the Mexico Tourism Board (MTB). Fitch Gomez is a former FEMSA-BREWERY executive who brings his experience in marketing, advertising, promotion, and public relations to the role.

The MTB brings together the resources of federal and state governments, municipalities, and private companies to promote Mexico's tourism attractions and destinations internationally. Created in 1999, the MTB is Mexico's tourism promotion agency, and its participants include members of both the private and public sectors. The MTB has offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America.